Forrester: Completing a task isn't enough; customers unsure it worked grow less loyal
In Forrester's data, 76% of utility customers who sought help with their bill and said they achieved their goal but were unsure it worked have low loyalty. Among those confident it worked, the very-low-loyalty group accounts for 36%.
What's happening
According to Forrester's data, counting a customer who completes a task as a success is misleading; the real difference lies in whether customers are confident that what they did worked. The firm says the way completion is currently measured doesn't always capture whether customers reached their goal, and doesn't measure their confidence at all. Forrester recommends using feedback to ask customers whether they are confident it worked, or counting the calls that come in about a goal already achieved.
Whose desk it lands on
The executive responsible for customer service. Who currently counts the customers who call back about a request that was closed as resolved?
Our view
The CX Brief's interpretation, not a claim made by the source.
A completion rate shows that the task is done, not that the customer knows it; in Forrester's data, it is the gap between the two that erodes loyalty. Since 2012, the Swedish blood donation centers in Forrester's example have been texting donors when their donated blood is used. A single message that clearly tells customers the outcome as their request is closed is likewise one of the cheapest ways to bridge that gap.
